43 dead, 519 missing after mudslide hits China-Nepal border port
At least 43 people have been confirmed dead and another 519 remain missing after a massive mudslide struck Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on August 26, local emergency response and rescue authorities said Sunday, Qazinform News Agency cites Xinhua.
Officials said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are among those reported missing. The figures were released at a press conference attended by Chinese and international journalists following an overseas media visit to the disaster site over the weekend.
China has launched a large-scale search and rescue operation following the disaster, which authorities said was triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, more than 2,500 rescue personnel and over 500 vehicles had been deployed to the affected area. Drones had carried out more than 1,000 flights, while 5.43 tons of emergency supplies were delivered to the disaster zone by air.
The mudslide also disrupted the lives of thousands of people in Gyirong, including Nepalese nationals who live, work or conduct business in the area. The destruction of the border port left many stranded, as the crossing is normally used by Nepalese residents to enter and leave China.
Local authorities said they had provided assistance to 1,720 Nepalese border residents in Gyirong following the disaster.
China has also established a disaster information notification mechanism with Nepal, through which it is providing daily updates on meteorological, hydrological and glacier-related conditions, officials said.
Earlier, Qazinform reported the UN appealed for 49.6 million US dollars to aid flood-hit Nepal.
